IITGN course teaches soil testing to academicians and Engineers

Gandhinagar, DeshGujarat, 15 November 2014

Engineers and academicians from across the country are learning geotechnical investigations at IIT Gandhinagar. The three-day short course at the institute called “Geotechnical Investigations for Structural Engineering” which began on Thursday (November 13) has attracted more than 100 participants from across the country including professors from various engineering colleges, engineers from organisations such as ISRO, Kerela State Electricity Board, Department of Telecom of New Delhi, Indian Railways, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and so on.

One of the participants, Prof Athni J krishnaiah of Malnad College of Engineering in Karnataka said, “This course gives me the opportunity to not only learn from experienced people but also witness live demonstrations of soil testing”

The course aims to teach the participants about the fundamentals and contemporary topics on expectations from Geotechnical Investigations for design of structures as well as the international best practices in the area. It was very interesting to learn about the lab testing of soil.

IITGN Faculty Prof Amit Prashant who is one of the organisers of the course said, “At the pace at which the country is growing, the demand for infrastructure in the country is also set to grow further. Such courses will help prepare experts to meet this demand.”

The event also received two participants from Bhutan. Prof Karma Tempa of College of Science and Technology of Royal University of Bhutan said, “The course gives me an opportunity to compare the methods and practices of geotechnical investigations in India which other countries. With its diverse participation, the course has given me good networking opportunity at a time when my college is looking to host more number of international students.” Sharing her experience of visiting the city for the first time, Prof Monika Thapa from the same college said, “Gujarat is a very interesting place with beautiful textiles and good people. I would have loved to explore more but we have limited time.”